John Lawrence (illustrator)
Encyclopedia
John Lawrence is an eminent English illustrator and wood engraver. He has twice won The Francis Williams Award for illustration (sponsored by the Victoria and Albert Museum
, London), and twice been runner-up for the Kurt Emil - Maschler Award. He has also published children's books in his own right including This Little Chick which was a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year. He was master of the Art Workers Guild
in 1990, and now lives in Cambridge
.
, first in Burwash, Sussex
then in Cowley, Oxfordshire, before attending Hastings School of Art
(1951 - 1953). After National Service
in West Africa he moved to the Central School of Art (now Central Saint Martins) (1955 - 1957) where he was introduced to wood engraving by Gertrude Hermes
.
by Richard Adams
and has recently worked with Philip Pullman
producing all the illustrations for Lyra's Oxford
and Once Upon a Time in the North
His work is represented in the Ashmolean, the Victoria and Albert Museum
, Manchester Metropolitan University
and Seven Stories
in Newcastle
.
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
, London), and twice been runner-up for the Kurt Emil - Maschler Award. He has also published children's books in his own right including This Little Chick which was a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year. He was master of the Art Workers Guild
Art Workers Guild
The Art Workers Guild or Art-Workers' Guild is an organisation established in 1884 by a group of British architects associated with the ideas of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. The guild promoted the 'unity of all the arts', denying the distinction between fine and applied art...
in 1990, and now lives in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
.
Education
Born in Hastings in 1933, John Lawrence was educated in Salesian schoolsSalesian Schools
Salesian schools is a generic term applied to educational institutions run by the Roman Catholic Salesian Congregation of Saint John Bosco , and those that use his methods. Salesian schools are dedicated to young people in an educational and formative environment...
, first in Burwash, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
then in Cowley, Oxfordshire, before attending Hastings School of Art
Hastings School of Art
The Hastings School of Art is an art school in Hastings, England, located at the Brassey Institute on the top two floors of the Library building at Claremont...
(1951 - 1953). After National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
in West Africa he moved to the Central School of Art (now Central Saint Martins) (1955 - 1957) where he was introduced to wood engraving by Gertrude Hermes
Gertrude Hermes
Gertrude Hermes, RA OBE was a British wood engraver, print maker and sculptor..She was born in Bickley, Kent.She studied at Leon Underwood School of Painting and Sculpture, from 1921 to 1925.She won the Prix de Rome in 1925....
.
Teaching
In the 1960s he taught at Brighton School of Art and then as a visiting professor of illustration at Camberwell School of Art until 1993. Until 2010 he taught at Cambridge School of Art, lecturing on the M.A. course in Children's Book Illustration.Illustration
He has illustrated more than 200 books, both adult and children's ranging from ranging from Shakespeare to Alan Ahlberg including the best-selling Watership DownWatership Down
Watership Down is a classic heroic fantasy novel, written by English author Richard Adams, about a small group of rabbits. Although the animals in the story live in their natural environment, they are anthropomorphised, possessing their own culture, language , proverbs, poetry, and mythology...
by Richard Adams
Richard Adams
Richard Adams was a non-conforming English Presbyterian divine, known as author of sermons and other theological writings.-Life:...
and has recently worked with Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman CBE, FRSL is an English writer from Norwich. He is the best-selling author of several books, most notably his trilogy of fantasy novels, His Dark Materials, and his fictionalised biography of Jesus, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ...
producing all the illustrations for Lyra's Oxford
Lyra's Oxford
Lyra's Oxford is a short book by Philip Pullman depicting an episode involving the heroine of His Dark Materials, Pullman's best-selling trilogy. Lyra's Oxford is set when Lyra Silvertongue is 15, two years after the end of the trilogy...
and Once Upon a Time in the North
Once Upon a Time in the North
Once Upon a Time in the North, a fantasy novella by Philip Pullman functions as a prequel to Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy...
His work is represented in the Ashmolean, the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
, Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University is a university in North West England. Its headquarters and central campus is in the city of Manchester, but there are outlying facilities in the county of Cheshire. It is the third largest university in the United Kingdom in terms of student numbers, behind the...
and Seven Stories
Seven Stories
Seven Stories the national centre for children's Books in the United Kingdom is based in the Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle upon Tyne, close to the city's newly regenerated quayside...
in Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
.
External links
- Partial bibliography
- The spitsticker wizard: John Lawrence uses tools and techniques that go back to the 18th century, yet his illustrations look bang up to date Article from The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, Saturday 21 June 2003